Chapter 36 Imprisonment Play? No, it's a VIP-level care experience!

Yun Zhan felt that he was probably the most frustrated transmigrator in history, without exception.

While others transmigrate into stories that feature overpowered protagonists or farming themes, he's been given a completely different experience: a "forced love" scenario. Although this "love" is a bit too hardcore, so hardcore that he's been tied to the bed like a precious artifact and given 24/7 VIP care.

After his hunger strike failed, Yan Linye seemed to have completely shed his "gentle lover" facade, revealing his true, ruthless nature. Yun Zhan's activities were strictly confined to this bedroom, with two door-guards standing guard at the door 24 hours a day. The windows? Heh, they had long been sealed off from the outside, ostensibly "to prevent you from catching a cold from the draft."

What Yun Zhan found most humiliating was that whenever Yan Linye returned to the villa, he would personally come to "take care" of him.

Feeding him, wiping his body, changing his dressings (although Yun Zhan was not injured, Yan Linye insisted on checking his weakened body after the hunger strike)... he did everything himself. Whether Yun Zhan glared at him, called him a "dictatorial tyrant," or turned his head away and ignored him, Yan Linye acted as if he didn't hear him, continuing with his work, his movements still gentle and meticulous, but his eyes filled with an undeniable firmness.

"Yan Linye! Let me go! This is illegal detention! You're violating my right to personal freedom!" Yun Zhan protested for the nth time, his voice weak and lacking in intimidation.

Yan Linye was carefully wiping his face with a warm handkerchief. Hearing this, he didn't even look up, his tone calm and indifferent: "Yes, I've detained him. Once the world is at peace, you can do whatever you want with him."

Yun Zhan: "..." It felt like punching cotton, leaving him feeling internally injured!

"What exactly do you want?" Yun Zhan broke down.

After wiping his face, Yan Linye put down the handkerchief, his deep gaze falling on his face, and said earnestly, "I want you to live."

Yun Zhan: "!!!" What the hell is this?! It sounds more like a death sentence!

Feeding him was an absolute social disaster. Yan Linye would half-hold him in his arms and patiently feed him porridge spoonful by spoonful. Yun Zhan refused with his mouth tightly shut, but Yan Linye wasn't in a hurry. He just held the spoon up and looked at him with a gentle yet stubborn gaze, as if he could keep him waiting forever.

In the end, it usually ended with Yun Zhan's stomach rumbling uncontrollably, and his own shameful and indignant compromise. After all, physical needs couldn't overcome willpower; Yun Zhan was just an ordinary person!

"Pah! You scumbag! I told you you could only choose between the world and me. Since you chose the world, then leave me alone! Let me fend for myself. You don't even have that much guts, so what are you rebelling for?" Yun Zhan mumbled and cursed as he was forced to drink the ginseng soup that Yan Linye fed him.

Yan Linye paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said in a low voice, "Drink slowly, don't choke."

Yun Zhan felt that if things continued like this, he would die of suffocation from this "gentle imprisonment" before he even starved to death. He was like a bird kept in a golden cage, pampered by its master, who refused to open the cage door.

After a few days of this, Yun Zhan felt like he was about to rot away. His body gradually regained some strength under Yan Linye's "meticulous care," but his sense of powerlessness and fear of his future grew stronger day by day.

That day, while Yan Linye was out (yes, even when busy with his rebellion, he would still come back regularly to "check on the patients"), Yun Zhan lay on the bed, gazing at the familiar patterns on the bed curtains above his head, and for the nth time tried to call out in his mind:

"System... Little Seven... Seventh Master... Seventh Ancestor! Where the hell have you been?! If you don't come back soon, your host will be turned into a cripple and then dragged out to be beheaded!!!"

[Ding—Intense resentment energy detected in the host, reaching the awakening threshold. System restarting... 10%... 50%... 100%! Host, long time no see, looks like you're still alive?]

A long-absent, cold, and slightly irritating electronic voice finally rang out!

Yun Zhan was so excited he almost jumped out of bed (if he hadn't been tied up): "Xiao Qi!!! You heartless bastard! You still know how to come back? Where have you been all these days? Do you know I almost died!"

[According to the records, the host's last critical vital signs occurred due to self-starvation, which was unrelated to this system. Furthermore, this system merely entered energy-saving hibernation mode, not died.] System Xiaoqi calmly distanced itself from the situation.

"I don't care! Why are you going into hibernation? Shouldn't you be waking me up in time to remind me not to fall into my opponent's love trap?" Yun Zhan started to act unreasonably.

[This system is powerless to wake a host who is escaping reality and ignoring system notifications. This system has decided to stop wasting its time and await destruction along with the host.]

Yun Zhan was momentarily speechless, then decided to skip the topic and ask the question that had been nagging at him for a long time: "Let's not talk about that! Xiao Qi, I'm asking you, according to that lousy book, wasn't Yan Linye supposed to raise an army three years later? How come he's rebelling now, only half a year later?! Is there a mistake in the historical timeline?! Or are you deliberately trying to trick me?!"

[...] The system paused for two seconds, its electronic voice seemingly tinged with a hint of speechless emotion, [Host, please speak from your non-existent conscience. Your contribution is immense; you deserve immense credit for the fact that the target, Yan Linye, was able to accumulate enough strength to launch his rebellion nearly two years ahead of schedule.]

Yun Zhan feigned ignorance: "...What do you mean?"

[This means that your series of actions 'aiding the enemy,' including but not limited to: providing the curved plow to greatly improve agricultural efficiency, inventing the water-powered waterwheel to solve irrigation problems, improving agricultural tools to increase productivity, proposing composting technology to increase local fertility, and even using groundbreaking management knowledge to reconcile internal conflicts and enhance cohesion...] The system began to list each and every one of these actions. [These measures greatly enhanced the economic strength, grain reserves, and public support of Hejian Prefecture, laying an incredibly solid foundation for Yan Linye's rebellion. Simply put, host, you personally dug the pit for your gravedigger, and even filled and compacted the soil for him.]

Yun Zhan: "!!!"

He was struck dumb, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

It seems... that's really the case?!

He was so focused on racking up points and enjoying the admiration of everyone that he completely failed to realize he was giving his opponents a massive buff! (Pretending not to realize.)

"But...but..." Yun Zhan tried to struggle, "Then the original tyrannical emperor Chu Yin, at least managed to hold out for three years, didn't he? I...I'm a transmigrator with a modern education, I know the course of history, how come I'm even worse off than an ancient tyrannical emperor?! Is the cheat code you gave me too useless? Or did you secretly increase the difficulty of the game?"

The system couldn't help but applaud him for shifting the blame so well.

[Host, please stop your baseless speculation.] System Xiaoqi's electronic voice was full of disdain. [First of all, please face one fact: the original owner, Chu Yin, was not the incompetent and foolish ruler you imagine.]

"Huh? He's already built a harem of muscular men, isn't he out of his mind?" Yun Zhan retorted.

[Absurd behavior does not equate to low intelligence. Based on historical records and behavioral patterns retrieved by this system: Chu Yin was placed on the throne at the age of sixteen by powerful ministers, bearing the infamy of a 'thief of state.' While outwardly indulging in pleasure and behaving eccentrically, he was secretly plotting and biding his time. In less than two years, he swiftly eliminated several powerful ministers who controlled the court, consolidating imperial power in his own hands.]

Yun Zhan was stunned.

Although he was criticized by historians for his personal preferences (such as selecting strong men to enter the palace) and some outdated policies during his reign, objectively speaking, many of his national policy ideas were quite forward-thinking in hindsight. He was simply born at the wrong time and had extremely bad luck.

"Extremely bad luck?"

[That's right. If Yan Linye is called the 'Chosen One of the Planes,' then Chu Yin is the quintessential 'Discarded Child of the Planes.' During his three years in power, the north suffered a severe drought, the south flooded, and border tribes repeatedly invaded—a constant stream of natural and man-made disasters. And his opponent was the incredibly fortunate Yan Linye. With one side gaining and the other losing, defeat was almost inevitable. But undeniably, Chu Yin himself possessed ability, skill, and could even be called a 'ruthless hero.'] The system calmly gave its assessment. [As for you, host…]

The system paused, seemingly organizing its thoughts on how to more precisely target the host:

Aside from possessing some fragmented knowledge ahead of its time (which it applies only intermittently) and a reasonably good-looking face given to you by the original owner, you are utterly and comprehensively outclassed by the original owner, Chu Yin, in matters of political maneuvering, forbearance, scheming, and even the most basic ability to 'recognize one's own situation and formulate effective strategies.'

Yun Zhan: "..."

He felt his face being slapped repeatedly, and it stung painfully.

He wanted to refute it, but found himself unable to utter a single word. What the system said... seemed to be entirely true!

In the past six months since he transmigrated, aside from a few flawed assassinations in the early stages, his obsession with accumulating points and dating in the middle stages, and his complete abandonment and self-destruction in the later stages... he hasn't actually accomplished anything that has any real help in "saving himself"! On the contrary, he hastened his own demise!

Most importantly—he's a history major!

They didn't even know the background of the "tyrant" they transmigrated into! They still thought he was just a complete idiot!

This is incredibly embarrassing! It's a disgrace to time travelers! A disgrace to history students! And now it's even happening in ancient times!

Yun Zhan wished he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot, or just have the system format him up.

"So..." Yun Zhan's voice was weak and filled with despair, "I'm... reaping what I sowed? Lifting a rock only to drop it on my own foot? And dropping it particularly hard?"

[A concise summary.] System Xiaoqi affirmed without reservation. [Furthermore, host, according to the latest monitoring, Yan Linye's uprising preparations have entered the final stage, and troop deployment is basically complete. It is expected that he will launch his campaign within three months at the earliest. The production process of your skull artwork has entered an accelerated countdown.]

Yun Zhan lay sprawled on the bed, bound like a dumpling, staring blankly at the ceiling.

It's over, it's really over now.

Trying to save yourself only led to digging your own grave; falling in love ruined your mind.

He now deeply misses the original owner of this body, Chu Yin, who, despite his bad luck, at least had some intelligence. Brother, I'm sorry, I've lowered the average level of incompetent rulers…

As soon as Yan Linye stepped into the room, he saw Yun Zhan with lifeless eyes and a look of despair, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.

His heart skipped a beat, and he strode forward.

"Yun Zhan?" he called softly, reaching out to smooth the wrinkles between his brows.

Yun Zhan suddenly snapped out of his daze and saw Yan Linye. His eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions—anger, grievance, fear, and a hint of despair and dependence that he himself didn't even realize.

He closed his eyes, too lazy to curse anymore, and too weak to struggle.

Yan Linye frowned as he looked at his passive resistance, and the feeling of powerlessness welled up in his heart again.

He knew what Yun Zhan wanted, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't let go of this world, this responsibility.

And he would never let Yun Zhan go.

He leaned down and gently embraced the person, blanket and all, his deep voice carrying an undeniable firmness:

"Don't be afraid, I will handle everything."

Yun Zhan sneered inwardly: Solve it? How? Would it count as solving it by killing me?

System Xiaoqi silently recorded: [The target's attempts to appease him have failed; the host's despair level continues to rise. Self-rescue mission assessment: Entered the final stage of hellish difficulty. System suggestion: Perhaps the host could try... writing a will?]